Spray composition



Patented Mar. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES SPRAY COMPOSITION Gerald H. Coleman and JohnW, Zemba, Midland,

Mich., assignors to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich, al'cor'poration of Michigan No Drawing. Application July 2,. 19 3 8, Serial No. 217,227-

4 Claims. (01. m n) v v a of certain alkylated phenols havea higher insec- This invention relates to compositions particularly adapted for use in combating'insect'pests, such as flies, mosquitoes, moths, gnats, and the .like.'

Insect sprays comprising solutions of pyrethriny in-a non-aqueous solvent are widely used for the control of household insect pests. Such sprays are known to have a quick but temporary paralyzing action on flies and similar insects: Where it is possible to collect and destroyparalyzed insects immediately after treatment, theiu'se of pyrethrum extracts has proved adequate, but

rotenone, and the like, are very unstable'to heat and light and upon storage rapidly ,lose' their effectiveness.-

It is among the objects of this'invention to provide an improved spray composition for exterminating common insect pests, such as flies, mosquitoes, etc., which will be more quickly and i more permanently toxic thereto than the fly sprays and insectifuges at present employed, and with which the percentage killof insects will closely approach the knockdown initially 'obtained. A further object is to provide a 'com-' position compatible with the common insecticidal plant extracts which will serve as a solubiliz'ing agent for diificultly soluble products, such as rotenone, and also stabilize insecticidal plantjex tracts against deterioration.

In a co-pending application,"Se rial3N0, 158,335,

filed August 10,1937, now Patent No. 2,133,972,

issued October 25, 1938 we havedisclo'sed' that hydroxy-alkyl ethers of phenols; added in' rela- I tivly small amounts to insecticidal plant extracts, e. g. extracts of derris, .cube,-'barbasco,';

pyrethrum, etc., improve the stability of the, extracts to heat. and light, and increase their paralyzing and lethal effect on insects. 'It"i's' also shown that solutions containing 'up to about 10 per cent of such hydroxy-alkyl ethers of the phenols can be substituted-for petroleum distillate solutions of insecticidal plant extracts for use as fly sprays and the like: I

We have discovered that hydroxy-alkyl ethers ticidal efficiency. and are more suitable for use.

' phenols generally. The compounds with which this invention is particularly concerned are those having the following formula Q'YQ. I

wherein 3 represents an alkylresidue containing; not more than. 4 carbon atoms, X'represents an, alkyl group, and Yrepresents an alkyl group or hydrogen, thesum of thencarbon. atoms. in the .1 alkyl substituents on therin'g being from A to 7, inclusive. Thehydroxy-alk'yl ,ethers] of alkyl phenols have been found to be. comparatively'.

PATENT innocuous. as regards theirfefiect upon human.

beings and warm blooded animals. Particularly advantageous is the fact that they do notcause irritation and dermatitis upon contact'with, living tissue and skin. Solutions ofjthe above pompounds in inertor anic solvehtsfc an besubsti tut'ed iorpetroleum distillatefsolutions of insecticidal plant extracts as fly p pa n favorably in toxic I effectiveness therewith and having certain advantagesj' of color, odor and.

stability to heat'and lighto'ver such plantextract f solutions;

These compounds may also b'eradded in small amounts to-solutions of the'insecticidalplant exa tracts to stabilize the solutions-and increase their; effectiveness as sprays.= For-,example, -the addition ofafrorn 0.5 to 5pc! cent of the hydroxyalkyl ether to a' pyrethrin solution containing the toxic ingredient of from 0.25 to'l pound of pyrethrum flowers per'gallon, produces a spray material givinga kill of flies substantially equal to ikn ckdown, such knockdown in many instances approximating per cent. Similarly, the hydroxy alkyl ethers may be mixed with rotenone and the toxicant mixturedissolved in,. a

petroleum distillate toobtain a'spray composition of. increased effectiveness,' theqhydroxy-alkyl ether both increasing the efiectivenessoi the composition and serving as a mutual'solvent for" the rotenone and petroleum distillate, thereby obviating the use of a co-solventfsuch as carbon" tetrachloride, in thecomposition." The proportions of hydroxy-alkyl ether compounds and of the plant extract can be widely varied, to produce compositions effective for insect control.

Various solvents may be employed as a carrier for the toxicants in the above-described compositions, depending upon the use for which the compositions are intended. For example, if an indoor spray is desired, a readily volatile solvent is most suitable. For out-of-door work, e. g. in the spraying of cattle, where it is desirable that the spray residue be retained for a considerable period of time, a heavier and less volatile oil may be employed. In case the hydroxy-alkyl ether has a limited solubility in a preferred solvent such as kerosene or naphtha, a mixture of such petroleum distillate with, for example, methyl-ethyl ketone, or carbon tetrachloride may be employed. Other non-corrosive organic solvents such as benzene, ethylene dichloride, hydrogenated naphthalene, butyl alcohol, and the like, may be used to dissolve the hydroxy-alkyl ether or mixtures thereof with plant extracts, provided only that such solvent be inert with respect to the toxicants employed and non-injurious to humans.

In the following-illustrative examples, the insecticidal efficiencies of solutions of the hydroxyalkyl ethers of alkyl phenols, and combinations thereof with such toxicants as the extracts of pyrethrin and rotenone-bearing plants, were determined according to the Feet-Grady method substantially as described in Soap 8; 4, 1932.

Example 1 A standard extract containing the toxic ingredients from 1 pound of pyrethrum flowers per gallon of petroleum. distillate, i. e. an equivalent of 0.9 per cent by weight concentration of pyrethrins. was obtained from the National Association of Insecticide and Disinfectant Manufacturers, Inc. The petroleum distillate employed as a solvent in this standard insecticidal solution was a light mineral oil having a boiling range of 345508 F. and a flash point of 137 F. (T. C. C.). This standard solution will hereinafter be termed ofiicial control insecticide. Various hydroxyalkyl ethers were dissolved in this standard solution in amounts ranging between 0.5 and 5 per cent thereof and tested against 3-day old house flies. To provide further basis for comparison. a portion of the oflicial control insecticide was diluted to one-half strength with the petroleum distillate, and this solution also tested both' alone and in combination with the hydroxy-alkyl ether compounds. The various runs from which the following mean results were computed were made on successive days, at least one control run being made on each such test day with the oflicial control insecticide or diluted sample thereof employed as solvent for the hydroxy-alkyl ether compound under test.

bntyl-phenoL; 99

A 0.1 per cent solution of rotenone (M. P. 163 C.) was prepared by dissolving 0.1 gram of rotenone in 12.5 grams of carbon tetrachloride and diluting to milliliters with the usual petroleum distillate, the-carbon tetrachloride being employed as a mutual solvent to hold the rotenone in solution. This solution was employed as a base solution from which to prepare test compositions containing 0.075, 0.05, 0.025, and 0.01 per cent rotenone. Other test solutions were prepared in which the hydroxy-alkyl ethers were employed as a mutual solvent for both rotenone and petro' leum distillate, the hydroxy-alkyl ethers serving both as toxicants and as solubilizing agents. Such solutions were prepared byfirst dissolving the desired amount of rotenone in the hydroxy-alkyl ether and thereafter adding the petroleum distillate to'the mixture. As the mortality of flies sprayed with rotenone solutions did not reach a constant value for a period of approximately '72 hours following the spraying operation, all flies sprayed in this series of experiments were examined at24, 48, and 72 hour periods to determine the mortality resulting from such treatment. The following results are representative of those obtained with compositions containing between 0.01 and 0.075 per cent of rotenone and from 1 to 3 per cent of the hydroxy-alkyl ethers.

Average Mean mortality in- Matcrial and 2""1? mm concentration tla g 2 48 72 I minutes hours hours hours Percent Percent Pcrcenl Pcrccn! 75 7 l8 2:) T0 8. 0 25. 2 37. 5 88 ll 42. 3 59. i 89 41 73. 2

ether of 4-tertiary-butylphenol 94 34 52 54 2% 0i betu-hydroxy-ethyl other of 4-secondary-bu- I tyl-phenol 77 28 31 33 0.025% rotcnone+3% of beta-hydroxy-cthyl other of i-tertiary-butyl-phcno1 93 25 72 79.2 0.05% rotenone+3% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tertiary-butyl-pheno1 97 28 74 88. 2 0.075% rotenone+3% of, beta-hydroxy'ethyl other of 4-tert1ary-butyl-phcno1 99 34 7 2. 6 92. 2 0.05% rotenone-l-2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4 secondary butyl phenol 92 22 33 74 Example 3 A series of tests was made to determine the comparative speeds of knockdown for pyrethrin solutions, rotenone solutions, and combinations of 7 instance observed throughout the period of the; test, and a determination made of the time re-- quired by each insecticidal compositionto knock down 50 of the 100 flies used in the test. As before, a number of runs was made in each instance, and a mean value obtained by averaging the results from the several experiments.

This series of tests showed conclusively that the addition of hydroxy-alkyl ethers to petroleum distillate solutions of pyrethrin and rotenone appreciably increased their knockdown rate. That is to say, the combination of materials accomplished a more speedy control of flies sprayed therewith. The results obtained with certain representative compounds are given in the following table.

Similar results were obtained with combinations of rotenone and the hydroxy-alkyl ethers, in each the combination of materials resulting in an appreciable decrease in the time required to-control' 50% of the test insects.

Example 4 A series of investigations was made to determine thestabilizing effect exerted by hydroxyalkyl ethers upon solutions containing such lightsensitive products as the pyrethrins, rotenone, etc. In making these tests, spray solutions which had been exposed to sunlight for a period of approximately 12 days were compared as regards toxicity with similar solutions prepared at the same time but stored away from the light. The following data is illustrative of the results obtained.

In a similar manner, other hydroxy-alkyl ethers were tested with pyrethrum and rotenone at varying concentrations as follows:

Average per- 5 centage Mean inor- Material and concentratlon y knockdown tality in posure to H ht m 10 48 hours g minutes i Percent Percent Otticial control insecticide 0 100 53 Do 7 96 36 21 96 29 Do .42 54 5 2% beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether v of 2.4-diethyl-phenoL. 0 77 26, Oificial control insecticide+ 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl v ether of 4-secondary-buty1- phenol .1 0 98 69 Ofiicial control insecticide+ 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl, ether of 4-secondary-butyl phenol 7 99 66 Oflicial control insecticide+ v 2% of beta-hydroxy'othyl ether of 4-secondary-butylp en L 42 33 2% beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 2.4-diethyI-phenol 0 63 30 Ofiicial control insecticide+ 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 2.4-diethy1-phenoL. '0 100 67 Official control insecticide+ 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether. of 2.4diethybphenol" 7 99 70 Official control insecticide-{- 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether-of 2.4-diethyl-phenol 21 97 l 52. Ofllcial control insecticide+ 2% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl .etherof 2.4-diethyl-phenoL- 42 90 33 I Of the above, the uncombined rotenone and pyrethrum solutions become'colorless upon exposure to light, and each developed a substantial amountof precipitate. The combination of rotenone or pyrethrin with. the beta-hydroxyethyl ether of e-tertiary-butyl-phenol -give,solu-' Example 5 Similarly, other hydroxy alkyl ethers have been tested as fly spray materials. The following table sets forth the per cent lmockdown and mor- Nidimber Average Mean mortality inays y percen age Material and concentration exposure knockdown I to light in 10 minutes 24 hours 48 hours 72 hours v 'Percent Percent Percent Percent Ofiicial control insecticide 0 100 49. 7 51 51. 6 D0 .1; 12 93 21 23. 6 26.3 3%, beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tert ary-butyl-phenoL. 0 88 33. 3 39 39. 7 3% heta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tert1ary-butyl-phenol 12 84 33. 6 36 36. 6 Oflicmlpontrol insectic1de+3% of beta-hydrory-ethyl ether of 4-tertiary-butyl-phenol 0 99 77. 7 89. 6 92 Oflicialcontrol 1nsectic1de+3% oi beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tertiary-butyl-phenol v 12 95. 6 68 .81 82 0.1% rotenone 0 92 15. 6 48. 3 75. 6 Do 12 42 6 8 11. 3 0.1% rotenone+3% of beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tertiaryv but -p on 0 98 35. 3 93 99. 3 0.1% rotenone-I-3% oi beta-hydrcxy-ethyl other of 4-tertiarybutyl-phenol 12 38. 3 84. 3 93 The toxicity ofcombinations tality obtained with petroleum distillate solutions of certain representative compounds.

tion and properties of a large number of these hydroxy-alkyl ethers of alkyl phenols.

Average Mean mortality in cream age Compound lggggg lyno ckilgwn in minutes 24 hours 48 hours Betwhydroxy-cthyl other of i-tertiary-amyl-phenol (B. P. 145148 Percent Percent Percent C. at 4 mm. pressure) 3 81 40 Beta-hydroxy-cthyl ether of Z-methyl-4-tertiary-butyl-phenol (M P.

36 C.) 3 88 36 4:2 Hydroxy-propyl ether of 4-tertiary-buty1-phenol (M. 1. 45 C.) 3 86 26 31 Beta-hydroxy-othyl ether of -secondary-butyl-phonol (B. P.

137 C. at 7 mm. pressure) 3 84 46' 51 Beto-hydroxy-ethyl other of ZA-diethyl-phcnol (B. P. l29-132 C.

at 4 mm. pressure) 3 92 57 61 Similarly, other hydroxy-alkyl ethers of alkylphenols may be used in the compositions described in the foregoing examples, e. g. beta-hydroxyethyl ether of 4-normal-butyl-phenol; betahydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-isobutyl-phenol; betahydroxy-cthyl ether of -normal-amyl-phenol; beta-hydroXy-ethyl ether of 2-ethyl-4-tertiaryamyl-phenol; beta-hydroxy ethyl ether of 2.4-diisopropyl-phenol; beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of di-isopropyl-phenol; beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of Z-ethyl--isopropyl-phenol; beta hyjdroxy-ethyl ether of mormal-hexyl-phenol; beta-hydroxyethyl ether of 4-secondary-hexy1-phenol; betahydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-tertiary-hexyl-phenol; beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-heptyl-phenol; hydroxy-propyl ether of 2.4-diethyl-phenol; hydroxy-propyl ether of 2-methyl-4-isopropylphenol; hydroxy-propyl ether of 4-seoondarybutyl-phenol; hydroxy-butyl ether of 4-secondarybutyl-phenol; hydroxy-butyl ether of 2.4- diethyl-phenol; etc. The above compounds and those shown in the foregoing examples may be prepared in known manner by reacting an alkyl phenol with a halohydrin or mono-halo-aliphatio alcohol in the presence of a suitable alkali. Our co-pending applications, Serial Nos. 127,177, filed February 23, 1937; 126,810, filed February 20, 1937; 158,335, filed August 10, 1937; 184,561, filed January 12, 1938; and 184,562, filed January 12, 1938, of which the present application is a continuation-in-part, disclose in detail the prepara- Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the materials or the amounts thereof employed, provided the compositions defined by any of the following claims or their equivalent be employed,

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

1. A substantially water-free insecticidal spray comprising as a toxicant the beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of 4-seoondary-butyl-phenol dissolved in a non-corrosive organic solvent.

2. A substantially water-free insecticidal spray comprising as a toxicant the beta-hydroxy-ethyl ether of ZA-diethyl-phenol dissolved in a noncorrosive organic solvent.

3. A substantially water-free insecticidal spray comprising a solution of a toxicant selected from the group consisting of the beta-hydroxy-ethyl ethers of 2.4-diethyl phenol and 4-secondarybutyl phenol in a non-corrosive organic solvent.

4. A substantially water-free insecticidal spray comprising a non-corrosive organic solvent having dissolved therein a toxicant selected from the class consisting of the extracts of pyrethrinand rotenone-bearing plants, and as an added toxi-- cant a compound selected from the group consisting of the beta-hydroxy-ethyl ethers of 2.4

diethyl phenol and 4-secondary-butyl phenol. GERALD H. COLEMAN. JOHN W. ZEMBA. 

